Written Answers Thursday 8 June 2006

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on set-aside payments in each of the last five years.

Ross Finnie: Set-aside payments made in each of the last five years are:

  

 Year
Set-Aside Payment(£)
 Scheme


 2001
 19,179,626.20
 Arable Area Payments Scheme


 2002
 18,238,448.30
 Arable Area Payments Scheme


 2003
 21,647,445.10
 Arable Area Payments Scheme


 2004
 15,700,025.50
 Arable Area Payments Scheme


 2005
 11,273,374.49
 Single Farm Payment Scheme

Alcohol Abuse

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under 16 have had a known alcohol problem, broken down by (a) age range and (b) NHS board area, in each year since 1999.

Lewis Macdonald: Information on the number of people up to the age of 16 discharged from general acute Scottish hospitals from 1999-2000 to 2004-05 with alcohol-related conditions, including children with foetal alcohol syndrome, family history of alcohol abuse or who have been accidentally poisoned by or exposed to any form of alcohol, is available through the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39808).

  In addition, there were two, three and four children under the age of 16 with alcohol-related diagnoses, discharged from psychiatric hospitals in Scotland in 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 respectively.

Ambulance Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulances have been operational in the city of Edinburgh in each month since June 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information is not available in the format requested.

  There has been no increase in the actual number of accident and emergency ambulances since 1999. However, with the introduction of the priority based dispatch system in 2002, the Scottish Ambulance Service has become much more efficient at strategically deploying its vehicles to ensure that Category A (life-threatening) calls are responded to more quickly. In 2005-06, the ambulance service responded to all emergency incidents in Edinburgh in an average of 8.2 minutes. This is against the target the service is working to of responding to 75% of all Category A calls within eight minutes across mainland Scotland by the fourth quarter of 2007-08.

  The ambulance service constantly monitors its resources in order to meet demand. At peak times, which are mainly day shift hours, up to 15 accident and emergency double crewed ambulances are on duty in Edinburgh City. At lower demand times, which are mainly mid-week night shifts, there are five double crewed ambulances on duty. However, the ambulance service’s satellite technology and IT systems enable it to identify and deploy any ambulance resource to a call if it is the most appropriate response and is the closest vehicle.

  The ambulance service also operates two Rapid Response Units, which are each crewed by one paramedic. These units, which were introduced in 2002-03, are on duty for a minimum of 16 hours each day, seven days a week. They respond to Category A calls and are backed up where necessary by an accident and emergency ambulance.

Ambulance Service

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of concerns expressed by senior members of the Scottish Ambulance Service in respect of the introduction of undisturbed meal breaks under Agenda for Change and, in particular, concerns that lives may be lost as a result.

Mr Andy Kerr: I am aware of the concerns expressed. However, there is little difference to the procedures the Scottish Ambulance Service had in place prior to the introduction of Agenda for Change as the Working Time Regulations required staff to have a recognised break where their working day was more than six hours – albeit this break was paid as part of the working day.

  Operationally, the revised terms and conditions mean that a standard five day working week will be made up of five eight-hour shifts, each of which will consist of an unpaid break of 30 minutes – previously staff were employed on a 40-hour per week basis inclusive of meal breaks.

  Agreement was reached through partnership to offer frontline operational staff an annual payment of £250 if they wished to make themselves available to work during their unpaid break and they would, in addition, receive a payment of £5 if they were called upon.

  To maintain operational cover, the Emergency Medical Dispatch Centres monitor the situation to ensure that meal breaks are managed and cover is provided at all times. This is done through a variety of means including the use of tactical deployment to ensure that, where a crew is on a meal break, a crew from a neighbouring location is moved into the area to maintain cover; satellite tracking systems ensure the ambulance service does this accurately. Systems are also used to assist in ensuring that staff are afforded their breaks at appropriate times.

Antisocial Behaviour

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Antisocial Behaviour Orders were breached up to April 2005, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: We have no centrally-held reliable data on breach rate of Antisocial Behaviour Orders. Research on the Use of Antisocial Behaviour Orders in Scotland attempted to examine this but current data recording practices mean that the data is incomplete. A survey of local authorities undertaken in the research suggests that, nationally, 26% of orders are allegedly breached.

Civil Service Code

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on when the revised Civil Service Code, on which the First Civil Service Commissioner and UK cabinet Secretary consulted earlier this year, including a version relevant to staff employed by the Executive and its agencies, will be published.

Mr Tom McCabe: The revised Civil Service Code has now been published.

  The revised code maintains the core values of the Civil Service - integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality – but updates the language of the code to be clearer and more relevant to the work of the modern Civil Service.

  For the first time, a version of the Civil Service Code has been prepared for civil servants working in the Scottish Executive and its Agencies. This version reflects their accountability to Scottish ministers, who in turn are accountable to the Scottish Parliament. This version is available on the Scottish Executive website www.scotland.gov.uk.

  The independent Civil Service Commissioners work to ensure understanding and application of the Civil Service Code.

Deaf and Hearing-Impaired People

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) hard-wired, (b) sealed long-life battery and (c) other smoke alarms for deaf people have been installed under Executive schemes in each of the last three years, broken down by fire board area, and who bore the installation costs of such alarms.

Hugh Henry: This information is not held centrally.

Drug Misuse

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug treatment and testing orders have been issued since their introduction and how many have been completed successfully.

Hugh Henry: In total, 2,375 Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) have been imposed in Scotland and 829 of these orders have been successfully completed to end March 2006.

  The number of successful completions is set in the context that many of the DTTO schemes have been established within the past two years and that DTTOs are imposed for an average period of 18 months to two years. A significant proportion of all orders imposed have not therefore yet reached the stage where they could have been completed.

Drug Misuse

Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many needles were provided for drug users through needle exchange schemes, and how many were returned, in each local authority or NHS board area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Hugh Henry: The following table details the number of needles and syringes distributed and returned by NHS board for 2004-05 as reported by alcohol and drug action teams.

  

 NHS Board
 Number of Needles / Syringes Distributed
 Number of Needles / Syringes Returned


 Argyll and Clyde
 125,924
 111,837


 Ayrshire and Arran
 398,420
 312,140


 Borders*
 4,410
 2,669


 Dumfries and Galloway*
 142,957
 107,943


 Fife
 481,537
 296,815


 Forth Valley
 178,195
 155,018


 Grampian*
 520,096
 357,991


 Greater Glasgow
 539,896
 327,381


 Highland
 34,807
 20,314


 Lanarkshire*
 56,000
 11,863


 Lothian*
 279,687
 82,262


 Orkney
 50
 Not recorded


 Shetland*
 5,405
 5,116


 Tayside
 182,523
 66,344


 Western Isles
 0
 0



  Note: *Data for full 12 months was not provided.

Drug Misuse

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26064 by Hugh Henry on 31 May 2006, what the basis is for Dumfries and Galloway having received 1.4% of the Scottish specific funding allocation for drug treatment in 2004-05 and 2% in 2005-06 and 2006-07, given that Dumfries and Galloway has 2.96% of the Scottish population.

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26064 by Hugh Henry on 31 May 2006, whether it took into consideration the findings of Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland , published by the Centre for Drug Misuse Research and the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health, that in 2003 nearly 2.5% of the population of Dumfries and Galloway were drug misusers, compared with 1.8% in Scotland as a whole, when it determined the specific funding allocation for drug treatment in Dumfries and Galloway in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Hugh Henry: Funding for drug treatment services for 2005-07 was allocated on the basis of several factors including Arbuthnott formula, population and prevalence.

  Dumfries and Galloway have received a 289% increase in funding between 2000-01 and 2006-07.

Employment

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact offshoring is having on Scottish industry.

Allan Wilson: The aggregate effects of offshoring are very difficult to quantify. What is clear is that offshoring suits the needs of some companies, under certain circumstances and as a whole, Scotland benefits from operating in the global market. We currently have one of the highest employment rates in the European Union with unemployment at its lowest level since quarterly records began.

  If we look at the call and contact centre industry, it is clear that the impact of offshoring has been minimal in terms of overall employment. Employment in this industry stands at 44,000 - broadly the same level as it did in 2001-02. Furthermore, we are told by firms, that when jobs are offshored, this creates higher value roles in Scotland.

Employment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the top 5% of earners within each local authority area were women in each year since 2000.

Nicol Stephen: The preferred source for earnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

  Table 1 shows the percentage of the top 5% of earners within each local authority area that were women in each year since 2000. These estimates are taken from ASHE and are based on the area that employees work in.

  The estimates in the following table are based on a sample survey, and as such, are subject to sampling error. This error can be used to assess the reliability of an estimate. Only those estimates that are judged to be reliable are reported.

  Table 1: Percentage of the Top 5% of Earners That Were Women, Scotland, 2000-05

  

 Work Place Area
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005


 Scotland
 22.3%
 26.2%
 21.0%
 22.3%
 28.5%
 31.5%


 Aberdeen City
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Aberdeenshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Angus
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Argyll and Bute
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 The Scottish Borders
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Clackmannanshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Dumfries and Galloway
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Dundee City
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 East Ayrshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 East Dunbartonshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 East Lothian
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 East Renfrewshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 City of Edinburgh 
 21.4%
 29.6%
 25.7%
 30.1%
 29.7%
 33.8%


 Falkirk
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Fife
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Glasgow City
 21.3%
 18.5%
 23.4%
 22.2%
 29.5%
 27.2%


 Highland
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Inverclyde
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Midlothian
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Moray
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 North Ayrshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 North Lanarkshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Orkney Islands
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Perth and Kinross
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Renfrewshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Shetland Islands
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 South Ayrshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 South Lanarkshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Stirling
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 West Dunbartonshire
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 West Lothian
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x


 Western Isles
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x
 x



  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

  x – Estimate is unreliable.

  Notes:

  1. The estimates are based on the hourly pay excluding overtime for employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.

  2. The estimates are based on a sample survey, and as such, are subject to sampling error.

  3. To improve coverage and hence make the survey more representative, supplementary information was collected from the 2004 ASHE survey onwards. The 2004 and 2005 ASHE results are therefore discontinuous with the results for 2003 and previous years, for which no supplementary information was collected.

Employment

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed in manufacturing industry in (a) Scotland, (b) Aberdeen, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Dundee, (e) Glasgow and (f) Stirling in each year since 2000, also expressed as a percentage of the workforce in each of these locations.

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of manufacturing employment was in (a) Scotland, (b) Aberdeen, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Dundee, (e) Glasgow and (f) Stirling in each year since 2000.

Nicol Stephen: Table 1 shows the number of employee jobs in the manufacturing industry for Scotland, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow and Stirling in each year since 2000. Table 2 shows manufacturing jobs as a proportion of all employee jobs in these areas since 2000. These data are sourced from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI). Due to changes in the ABI between 2002 and 2003 there is a discontinuity with the data therefore figures from 2003 onwards are not directly comparable with data prior to 2003.

  Table 1 Number of Employee Jobs within Manufacturing, 2000-04

  

 
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Scotland
 302,000
 285,000
 263,400
 243,300
 236,000


 Aberdeen City
 14,800
 15,200
 14,500
 11,600
 11,800


 Dundee City
 11,100
 11,100
 9,200
 9,900
 10,200


 Edinburgh City
 20,600
 17,900
 17,000
 14,700
 14,300


 Glasgow City
 30,000
 30,300
 27,600
 25,800
 23,700


 Stirling
 3,000
 2,900
 2,300
 2,100
 2,600



  Source: Annual Business Inquiry (ABI).

  Notes:

  1. The data are rounded to the nearest 100.

  2. Data for 2000–02 are based on 1991 census wards. Data for 2003-04 are based on 2003 CAS wards.

  3. ABI data are workplace based.

  Table 2 Manufacturing Employee Jobs as a Proportion of All Employee Jobs, 2000-04

  

 
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Scotland
 13.5%
 12.4%
 11.6%
 10.5%
 10.1%


 Aberdeen City
 8.8%
 9.2%
 9.0%
 7.2%
 7.0%


 Dundee City
 15.6%
 15.3%
 12.9%
 13.5%
 13.5%


 Edinburgh City
 7.0%
 6.0%
 5.5%
 4.7%
 4.6%


 Glasgow City
 8.2%
 7.8%
 7.1%
 6.7%
 6.0%


 Stirling
 7.5%
 7.0%
 5.5%
 5.2%
 6.1%



  Source: Annual Business Inquiry (ABI).

  Notes:

  1. The data are rounded to the nearest 100.

  2. Data for 2000-02 are based on 1991 census wards. Data for 2003-04 are based on 2003 CAS wards.

  3. ABI data are workplace based.

Employment

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many manufacturing jobs were lost in (a) Scotland, (b) Aberdeen, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Dundee, (e) Glasgow and (f) Stirling in each year since 2000.

Nicol Stephen: There is no information held centrally on the number of jobs lost in industries. However it is possible to look at the net change in jobs over time. The following table shows the net change in the number of manufacturing employee jobs in Scotland, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow and Stirling since 2000. Due to changes in the data between 2002 and 2003 there is a discontinuity with the data therefore the changes between 2002 and 2003 are not included.

  Table 1 Annual Change in the Level of Manufacturing Employee Jobs, 2000-04

  

 
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2003-04


 Scotland
 -17,000
 -21,600
 -7,300


 Aberdeen City
 +400
 -700
 +200


 Dundee City
 0
 -1,900
 +300


 Edinburgh City
 -2,600
 -900
 -400


 Glasgow City
 +300
 -2,700
 -2,100


 Stirling
 -100
 -700
 +500



  Source: Annual Business Inquiry (ABI).

  Notes:

  1. The data are rounded to the nearest 100.

  2. Data for 2000–02 are based on 1991 census wards. Data for 2003-2004 are based on 2003 CAS wards.

  3. ABI data are workplace based.

Energy

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated to the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) for 2006-07 and whether the Energy Savings Trust (EST) continues to distribute SCHRI grants in the south of Scotland and the central belt and, if so, what funds have been made available to the EST for this purpose in 2006-07.

Nicol Stephen: The original allocation of funding to the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) for 2006-07 was £2.2 million. On 16 May, I announced an additional £3 million for SCHRI for years 2006-07 and 2007-08. This will ensure that the Energy Saving Trust and Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company can continue to distribute grants to eligible applicants across Scotland, including those from the south of Scotland and the central belt.

Enterprise

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the new funding arrangements for Scottish Enterprise will have on the current and future budgets of intermediate technology institutes.

Nicol Stephen: In making additional resources available to Scottish Enterprise, I have stressed that the revised budget should have regard to ministerial priorities and the continuing delivery of Partnership Agreement commitments. I have also made it clear that ministers strongly support the intermediate technology institutes and that they should have the opportunity to deliver. Detailed decisions on relevant budgets are a matter for Scottish Enterprise.

Enterprise

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) start-up and (b) failure rates were for small businesses in (i) Glasgow, (ii) Edinburgh, (iii) Dundee, (iv) Aberdeen, (v) Stirling and (vi) Inverness in each year since 2000.

Nicol Stephen: Data on the number of VAT registrations and de-registrations are released annually by the Small Business Service, an agency of the Department for Trade and Industry. These figures are used to monitor the number of business start-ups and closures; they are not available by business size.

  The number of business de-registrations is not a direct measure for the number of business "failures". Businesses can de-register for VAT for a number of reasons, for example de-registration could be associated with a merger with another firm to form a new business.

  These figures do not account for all UK business activity as only companies with a turnover above the VAT threshold are required to register.

  The table below shows the rate of VAT registrations and de-registrations per 10,000 resident adults in selected local authorities from 2000 to 2004:

  

 Local Authority
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Registrations
 
 
 
 
 


 Glasgow City
 35
 33
 31
 32
 32


 City of Edinburgh
 39
 37
 34
 37
 37


 Dundee City
 24
 21
 20
 20
 23


 Aberdeen City
 33
 30
 35
 32
 30


 Stirling
 36
 34
 37
 44
 39


 Highland*
 31
 30
 34
 35
 38


 De-Registrations
 
 
 
 
 


 Glasgow City
 34
 32
 34
 35
 34


 City of Edinburgh
 32
 32
 33
 37
 34


 Dundee City
 20
 21
 20
 19
 22


 Aberdeen City
 36
 39
 35
 36
 36


 Stirling
 29
 30
 27
 34
 38


 Highland*
 34
 32
 30
 34
 41



  Source: Small Business Service, DTI

  Note: *Data for Inverness is not available separately.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the Skills for Business review being undertaken by the Executive and the Sector Skills Development Agency.

Allan Wilson: We wrote to all Scottish Stakeholders, the Chief Executives of the Sector Skills Councils and their Scottish Representatives in October 2005 to inform them of our intention to carry out an Evaluation of the Skills for Business Network jointly with the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA). In that letter we outlined the remit of the evaluation as being to identify:

  How we can ensure that the Skills for Business network reaches its full potential in Scotland? What obstacles, if any, currently prevent this from occurring? Could the different organisational structures and remits of Scottish partners and/or the way in which the network has been established and operates in Scotland hinder effective engagement? Is this having an effect on the ability of the network to achieve its key objectives?

  What should the SSDA in Scotland and the Scottish Executive do in practice to better support the network and ensure it contributes to ministers’ top priority of growing the Scottish economy.

  How different models of SSC structure work in Scotland and the pros and cons of these.

  Practice on the ground – what works well and what doesn’t work well. More importantly, how can we disseminate and encourage good practice across the network, how do we build on early success and how do we ensure the network performs consistently well, across all SSCs.

Environment

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who has responsibility for dealing with the removal of carcases stranded between high and low water marks.

Rhona Brankin: Marine mammals die every day from a wide range of causes, wash ashore and strand between high and low water. The carcases are dealt with on a case-by-case basis depending on individual circumstances.

  In many instances, it is considered unnecessary to remove a carcass in view of the combination of long isolated stretches of coastline and low population density in many remote areas of Scotland. Such carcasses will be subject to a natural process of decomposition, which enriches biodiversity by providing a source of food for many scavenger species.

  The exception will be where a particular carcass is considered to represent a potential nuisance or threat to public health or safety or amenity. In these circumstances, local authorities may consider removal under powers conferred by Section 122 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 or Section 25 of the Local Government Planning (Scotland) Act 1982. In all such cases, it is important for the local authority to take account of local practicalities.

Environment

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13866 by Lewis Macdonald on 8 February 2005, whether it has identified a legislative opportunity to extend the statutory nuisance provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to include light pollution and when it hopes to introduce such legislation.

Rhona Brankin: I can confirm that it is still the intention of the Scottish Executive to extend the statutory nuisance provisions of the Environment Protection Act 1990 to include light in a similar way to what’s recently been introduced by the UK Government in England. No suitable legislative opportunity to allow this to happen has been identified as yet but action will be taken when an appropriate legislative vehicle is identified.

Environment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of the First Minister’s commitment to establish an environmental justice fund for Greengairs.

Ross Finnie: In Choosing Our Future , the Scottish Sustainable Development Strategy published in December 2005, the Executive noted that complex funding streams caused problems for those seeking to promote local environmental regeneration projects. The Executive is reviewing the range of funding available with a view to simplifying the range and scope as far as possible. The aim is to ensure that funding is directed at projects in a way that secures the most significant outcomes for Scotland’s most deprived communities. The Environmental Justice Fund is one of those covered by this review.

Fire Service

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive with what EU safety standard or regulation the water supply used to extinguish fires must comply.

Hugh Henry: There is no such standard or regulation. The Fire and Rescue services will use any available water supply when fighting a fire, including sea water if necessary.

Freedom of Information

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests for information it received were not answered within 20 working days, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of requests received, in each month since January 2005.

Ms Margaret Curran: Most requests for information are handled routinely and not all are recorded or counted centrally. In line with centrally produced guidance some requests for information are notified to the Scottish Executive’s FOI Unit and recorded centrally. The Scottish Executive have published a report on information requests handling in the Scottish Executive for requests received during 1 January to 31 December 2005; this is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39491) and on the Freedom of Information pages of the Scottish Executive Website. The report provides information on the number and percentage of requests dealt with out-with the 20 working-day time period for the each of the quarters of 2005. A report on the information requests handling in the Scottish Executive for the first six months of 2006 will be published later in the year.

Further Education

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Scottish Funding Council has decided to award targeted growth to address the issue of college growth in areas where there is low participation to all such areas except the south of Scotland.

Nicol Stephen: We expect the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to use its expertise and judgement in setting college budgets, free from ministerial interference. The SFC decided to support those with the least developed skills and qualifications and to focus on areas where the supply is relatively low when compared to the Scottish average. Participation at non-advanced level in the south of Scotland is close to the average, although the overall supply is relatively low.

Health

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15925 by Mr Andy Kerr on 25 April 2005, whether it is aware of any hospitals which still use mixed-sex wards and which hospitals have had a clinical governance review by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: The programme to eliminate mixed sex accommodation was completed in the autumn of 2005. The Executive is not aware of any hospitals which still make routine use of mixed sex general wards.

  NHS Quality Improvement Scotland’s clinical governance and risk management reviews will check that local arrangements to safeguard the privacy and dignity of patients are in place during their 2006-07 programme. The programme of visits has not yet commenced, but if evidence is found that that the privacy and dignity of patients is being compromised, it will be followed up proactively.

Higher Education

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding it will provide for higher education over the next three years.

Nicol Stephen: The 2004 Spending Review settlement provided record levels of investment for higher education in Scotland. Scottish Executive investment in higher education will exceed £1 billion per year by 2007-08, an increase of almost 28% in real terms since 2003-04. The next Scottish Spending Review will take place in 2007, and spending plans for 2008-09 onwards are due to be published in September 2007. The spending plans for 2006-07 are £958 million, and for 2007-08 are £1,028 million.

Higher Education

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to encourage university principals to negotiate with the Association of University Teachers and other higher education unions to end the current pay dispute.

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what direction it is giving university principals and their negotiating body, the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association, regarding the need for urgent negotiations with the Association of University Teachers and other unions to resolve the current pay dispute.

Nicol Stephen: I am obviously concerned about the impact that the pay dispute is having on students and on the higher education sector more generally. This issue was raised at the most recent roundtable meeting with stakeholders from the higher education sector, where it was recognised that both sides should make renewed efforts to reach a negotiated solution.

  The AUT and Universities Scotland are both represented on the stakeholders group.

Hospitals

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cottage hospitals have closed in each year since 1997.

Mr Andy Kerr: The term "cottage hospital" is not a recognised data definition and consequently this information is not available in the form requested. However, information is available about community hospitals, under which heading "cottage hospitals" would be expected to fall. The number of community hospitals which have closed since 1997 is four.

  

 Name of Hospital
 Date Closed


 Eastbank Hospital – Largely services for the elderly: transferred in part to the Ninian Ward in the Balfour Hospital, Kirkwall, and in part to social services care.
 02-04-2000


 Daliburgh Hospital – Replaced by the Uists and Barra Hospital, Balivanich
 09-03-2001


 Lochmaddy Hospital – Replaced by the Uists and Barra Hospital, Balivanich
 09-03-2001


 Kincardine O’Neil War Memorial Hospital – Services provided from Aboyne and Glen O’Dee Hospitals at Banchory
 01-05-2003

Housing

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25071 by Johann Lamont on 27 April 2006, what action could be taken in respect of a local authority which has acted outwith its powers in failing to take the financial circumstances of applicants for improvement and repair grants into account, as required by Part 13 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 amended by Part 6 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.

Johann Lamont: If an applicant considered that an application had not been properly considered then that applicant might challenge the grant made on the basis that it should have been made in terms of the regulations made under Part 13 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987  (as amended). A person who was not the applicant might challenge the award of higher grants than provided for in the regulations on the basis that it was an unfair or improper use of the council’s resources. In either case, the person should in the first instance complain to the local authority in accordance with its formal complaints procedure and if that did not resolve the issue could, depending on the circumstances, make a complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. The person might choose to initiate a judicial review.

  The authority’s auditors could also qualify the authority’s accounts if they found that it had made payments that were not in accordance with the regulations.

  Most grants are funded by Private Sector Housing Grant given by the Scottish Executive to local authorities. If a local authority was not operating in accordance with the legislation, appropriate funding could be clawed back in terms of the conditions on which Private Sector Housing Grant had been made.

Housing

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26066 by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 May 2006, what the specific bids were for which Dumfries and Galloway Council received Private Sector Housing Grant worth £2.78 million in both 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Dumfries and Galloway received £2.478 million in each of 2004-05 and 2005-06 for project specific bids.

  The bids are shown in the following table:

  

 Project
2004-05 Funding
(£ Million)
2005-06 Funding
(£ Million)


 Improvement and Repair Grants
 1.090
 1.090


 BTS Rural Estate and Agriculture
 0.225
 0.225


 Supporting Mixed Tenure Registration
 0.150
 0.150


 Town Centre Regeneration (Flats over shops)
 0.250
 0.250


 Care and Repair
 0.500
 0.500


 Assisted Adaptations Programme
 0.2625
 0.2625


 Total
 2.4775
 2.4775

Influenza

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which of the recommendations specific to pandemics in the 2000 report by Dr Richard Simpson on influenza vaccination have been implemented and whether the recommendations contributed to the formation of the influenza pandemic contingency plans for Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive responded to the recommendations in the 2000 report by Dr Richard Simpson in December 2000. A copy of that response can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/historic/health/papers-01/hep01-01.pdf.

  The most recent version of the UK Influenza Contingency Plan was issued in October 2005. This is a constantly developing area of work and the plan reflects the most up to date thinking and advice.

Justice

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secure unit places there were in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new secure unit places are planned to be developed.

Cathy Jamieson: The secure accommodation census details that in 2002-03 and 2004-05 there were 96 secure unit places and in 2005-06 there were 92 places. On 24 March 2003, plans were announced to increase the number of secure unit places by 29 to 125, this redevelopment of the secure estate is on track to be completed by 2007.

Justice

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under 16 were cautioned by police for carrying a knife in each year since 1999, broken down by age range.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.

Justice

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under 16 were assaulted with a knife in each year since 1999, broken down by age range.

Cathy Jamieson: The recorded crime statistics available centrally do not include any information on the circumstances of crimes, such as the age of the victim.

Justice

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged under 16 were victims of knife crimes where the offender was over 16 in each year since 1999.

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged under 16 were victims of knife crimes where the offender was under 16 in each year since 1999.

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what was found by police to be the second most common type of offensive weapon carried by people aged under 16 in each year since 1999.

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged under 16 found in possession of a knife had either a previous conviction or had been cautioned by police for carrying an offensive weapon in each year since 1999, also expressed as a percentage of the number of people under 16 found in possession of a knife.

Cathy Jamieson: The recorded crime statistics available centrally do not include any information on the circumstances of crimes, such as the type of offensive weapon or the age of the offender.

Justice

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions police were called to schools to attend incidents in which violence was a factor in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents at schools involved the use or threatened use of a knife in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.

Justice

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged between 8 and 16 were convicted in a Scottish court where the prosecution case relied primarily on fingerprint evidence in each year since 1996.

Colin Boyd QC: The information requested is not available. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Case Management Database records details of accused and charges but this does not include searchable information about the evidence used by the prosecution.

Justice

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged between 8 and 16 were arrested by police officers but subsequently released without charge in each year since 1999, broken down by police force.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not available centrally.

Justice

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged between 8 and 16 arrested by police officers and subsequently charged with an offence were later convicted in a Scottish court in each year since 1999, broken down by police force.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table.

  Persons Aged 8 to 16 with a Charge Proved1 in Scottish Courts, by Force Area, 1999-2000 to 2004-05

  

Force Area
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Central 
76
56
114
123
176
196


Dumfries and Galloway
74
85
70
104
105
115


Fife 
203
153
114
134
137
126


Grampian 
359
204
252
266
214
197


Lothian and Borders 
261
204
328
363
328
345


Northern 
114
96
137
121
144
141


Strathclyde 
754
544
661
775
715
873


Tayside 
257
239
358
304
261
247


Scotland2
2,098
1,581
2,034
2,190
2,082
2,240



  Notes:

  1. Where main offence.

  2. May include a small number of cases where force area is unknown.

Justice

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many arrests were made by police officers and what the average number of arrests was per police officer in each year since 1997.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22233 on 20 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Legal Aid

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the outstanding value of legal aid debts to be and what action is being taken to recover these debts.

Hugh Henry: Legal aid debts arise under four main headings: contributions payable by persons granted civil legal aid; monies payable in respect of terminations of legal aid; expenses payable by opponents of persons granted civil legal aid, and payments to the Legal Aid Fund from winnings.

  At 31 March 2006 there was an outstanding debt of £10.265 million. This amount will fluctuate as some of it is repaid and debts arise from the four main headings.

  The Scottish Legal Aid Board can and does take any reasonable and necessary enforcement steps, by way of civil diligence or other available measures, to recover the sums owed to the Legal Aid Fund in respect of the costs of any legal aid.

Lottery Funding

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has about what lottery funding was received by (a) Glasgow City, (b) Renfrewshire, (c) North Lanarkshire, (d) South Lanarkshire, (e) South Ayrshire, (f) Dundee City, (g) East Dunbartonshire and (h) West Dunbartonshire councils in each of the last five years.

Patricia Ferguson: The distribution of National Lottery funds is a matter for the Lottery Distribution Bodies: Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Screen,  sportscotland, the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The information requested is not held centrally by the Executive.

  The Department for Culture, Media and Sport maintains an electronic database of National Lottery awards. Details of the total awarded to each constituency area and each local authority area for each lottery good cause can be obtained through the DCMS website at:

  http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/search.asp.

Marine Environment

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Forth Ports plc has consulted Scottish Natural Heritage for the purpose of carrying out an appropriate assessment of a plan or project under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) for ship-to-ship transfers of oil in the Firth of Forth.

Rhona Brankin: Aquatera on behalf of Melbourne Marine Services sought views from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and SNH has commented on a draft Oil Spill Contingency Plan and on proposed changes to Clearwater Forth. SNH has also commented on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) produced on behalf of Melbourne Marine Services by Aquatera.

  SNH’s comments on the EIA included the view that there was insufficient information to ascertain that the proposals would not adversely affect the integrity of the European sites. Since submitting their comments in December 2005, SNH has been in discussion with Forth Ports to help clarify the further information which they believe is required for the appropriate assessments of the implications for the three Natura sites, namely the Firth of Forth SPA, the Forth Islands SPA and the Isle of May SAC.

  I understand that Forth Ports are carrying out further revisions to the EIA and are also undertaking appropriate assessments for the three European sites.

Ministerial Costs

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost to it and its agencies was of any ministers or officials attending the lecture given by Bill Clinton on 10 May 2006 at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow.

Mr Tom McCabe: The lecture on 10 May 2006 at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow was attended by ministers, officials and MSPs of various political parties including the Convener of the European and External Relations Committee.

  The total cost to the Scottish Executive was £38,258.80. This included:

  £20,000 sponsorship from the Scottish Executive

  £12,318.80 for the audio visual equipment and technical operators at the event and production of high quality DVD for future use to promote Scotland.

  £940 for international media liaison.

  £5,000 for a table of 10 which comprised two officials, two business partners, and the headteacher and five young people from Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School in Dumbarton.

  The sponsorship secured clear identification, in all UK and international media, of Scotland as the location for this event, and promotion of the Scotland brand.

  The purchase of the table successfully promoted the Determined to Succeed strategy to key audiences, both on the day and subsequently through media coverage. The young people met with Bill Clinton after his speech.

NHS Procurement

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on information technology by each NHS board in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04, (c) 2004-05 and (d) 2005-06.

Mr Andy Kerr: The expenditure on information technology by each NHS board in each year from 2002-03 is shown in the following table. Figures relate to capital spending only, as revenue expenditure information is not held centrally.

  


2002-03
(£000)
2003-04
(£000)
2004–05
(£000)


 Argyll and Clyde
 118
 192
 194


 Ayrshire and Arran
 617
 400
 1,771


 Borders
 107
 0
 83


 Dumfries and Galloway
 0
 32
 9


 Fife
 102
 171
 553


 Forth Valley
 239
 96
 375


 Grampian
 486
 147
 1,141


 Greater Glasgow
 461
 235
 395


 Highland
 374
 209
 20


 Lanarkshire
 808
 869
 1,382


 Lothian
 467
 429
 355


 Orkney
 88
 159
 491


 Shetland
 68
 47
 74


 Tayside
 227
 178
 276


 Western Isles
 18
 335
 617


 National Waiting Times Centre
 290
 255
 306


 Health Scotland
 44
 0
 32


 Mental Welfare Commission
 0
 0
 37


 NHS Education for Scotland
 43
 9
 71


 National Services Scotland
 4,814
 5,335
 5,613


 Quality Improvement Scotland
 0
 19
 22


 Scottish Ambulance Service
 0
 220
 7


 State Hospital
 388
 218
 217


 NHS 24
 3,285
 2,083
 733


 Total IT Expenditure
 13,044
 11,638
 14,774



  The information is not yet available for 2005-06 until the annual accounts have been audited.

NHS Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses were working in the NHS in (a) 1979, (b) 1990, (c) 1991, (d) 1997 and (e) 2006; how many nursing redundancies there were in the period (i) 1979 to 1990, (ii) 1991 to 1997 and (iii) 1997 to 2006, and what the total change was in the number of nurses working in the NHS in the period (1) 1979 to 1990, (2) 1991 to 1997 and (3) 1997 to 2006.

Mr Andy Kerr: Table 1 shows the number of nursing and midwifery staff in post for the years requested and table 2 shows the percentage change for each time period. Figures for 2006 are not yet available.

  Table 1

  

 
 1979
 1990
 1991
 1997
 2005*


 All Nursing and Midwifery staff
 53,815
 63,144
 64,189
 61,961
 65,816



  Table 2

  

 
 1979-90
 1991-97
 1997-2005


 All Nursing and Midwifery Staff
 17.3%
 - 3.5%
 6.2%



  Note: *Latest statistics

  Information on nursing redundancies is not held centrally and is held by individual NHS boards in Scotland.

  Information on nurses in NHS Scotland is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

NHS Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many district nurse contacts there have been in each year since 1997.

Mr Andy Kerr: The exact number of district nurse contacts in Scotland in each year since 1997, is not available centrally. However, national estimates of the number of district nurse contacts can be given based on data received from general practices participating in Practice Team Information (PTI).

  PTI gathers information about face-to-face consultations between patients and members of the general practice team (general medical practitioners (GPs), practice nurses, district nurses and health visitors) and has been collected since 1 April 2003. Prior to this date information was collected on GPs only; therefore district nurse contacts are not available before 1 April 2003 from this source.

  Information on the estimated number of district nurse contacts in Scotland for the years ending 31 March 2004 and 2005 is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under General Practice statistics, at http://www.isdscotland.org/general_practice_info (click on "Contacts by staff discipline" under "Summary statistics").

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is following GP referral for a treadmill test for coronary health in each NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is not available centrally.

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for x-rays taken during a hospital appointment to be passed to the patient’s GP in each NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a hernia operation in each NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: The majority of patients who require in-patient and day case treatment, including hernia operations, are treated quickly. Nearly 53% of the patients treated in NHSScotland hospitals receive immediate treatment and never join a waiting list. Of those who do wait almost 41% are admitted within one month and over 70% within three months.

  For those who wait longer, the current maximum waiting time is six months. This guarantee will be reduced to 18 weeks from the end of 2007. On 31 March 2006, no NHSScotland patient with a guarantee had waited more than six months for in-patient and day case treatment.

  Median waiting times are derived from information about individual patients who have been treated and discharged from hospital during each year. This data includes patients who have had an Availability Status Code (ASC) applied, for example because they were medically unfit or asked for their admission to be deferred for personal or social reasons, and to whom the Executive’s waiting time guarantee did not apply. Periods of unavailability for treatment are therefore included in the calculation of median waiting times, which means that the median waits are overstated.

  The following table shows the median wait, by NHS board, for all patients who were discharged from hospital following a hernia operation in 2005.

  NHSScotland: Median Waiting Time for a Hernia1 Operation by NHS Board of residence. Year ending 31 December 2005P

  

 NHS Board Area
 Median Wait (Days)+


 Argyll and Clyde
 77


 Ayrshire and Arran
 98


 Borders
 56


 Dumfries and Galloway
 79


 Fife
 113


 Forth Valley
 115


 Grampian
 122


 Greater Glasgow
 74


 Highland
 105


 Lanarkshire
 144


 Lothian
 124


 Orkney
 54*


 Shetland
 39*


 Tayside
 93


 Western Isles
 40


 NHSScotland
 98



  Source: ISD SMR01.

  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  1. Hernia operations are defined as all OPCS4 procedures "T19" to "T27" inclusive.

  * Figures should be treated with caution as they are derived from a possibly unrepresentative small number of discharges (more than 14 but less than 50).

  + Median waits includes patients with an Availability Status Code. Consequently, true waiting times are likely to be overstated because of periods of medical unavailability, etc.

National Health Service

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the capital plan for NHS Argyll and Clyde is currently over-committed.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS Argyll and Clyde received a formula capital allocation of £15.647m in 2005-06. Of the total capital resources available £8.5 million was returned to the Health Department as a result of slippage on projects.

  Following the dissolution of NHS Argyll and Clyde the formula capital allocation for subsequent years has been split between NHS Highland and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in accordance with the capital allocation formula. The split applied is 77.37% to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and 22.63% to NHS Highland.

  Capital planning is a strategic issue for NHS boards. The slippage of £8.5 million from 2005-06 has been allocated to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Highland on the basis of the location of projects which had slipped from 2005-06.

  NHS boards are given a formula capital allocation and it is for them to prioritise the application of this capital resource, having regard to national, regional and local priorities.

National Health Service

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding its capital plan.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Executive has given no advice to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding its capital plan. Capital planning is a strategic issue for NHS boards. NHS boards are given a formula capital allocation and it is for them to prioritise the application of this capital resource, having regard to national, regional and local priorities.

National Health Service

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the correct procedures were followed in the sale of land in August 2004 by NHS Grampian to property development company, Camvo 37; whether the land was advertised for sale, and what the reasons were for the selling price of £2.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive Health Department annually monitors property transaction reports prepared by each NHS board’s internal auditor and in this transaction the report confirms that the correct procedures were followed by NHS Grampian.

  The property was not advertised for sale given the decision to sell for a health-related purpose. This is one of a number of instances where NHS bodies can sell off-market which are collectively referred to as priority interests.

  Where a transaction is deemed appropriate to proceed on an off-market basis for a health-related purpose to a non-NHSScotland body the sale price is determined by a professional valuer. In this instance the sale price was recommended by the District Valuer who took into account the health-related nature of the transaction, that the houses were in poor condition and required expenditure to upgrade before they were fit for occupation by people with learning disabilities and that no grant assistance was available.

National Health Service

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any increases in cost which would require funding additional to that shown for eHealth in table 5.03 of its Draft Budget 2006-07 in order to meet the original objectives in the stated timescale.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is not aware of any such increases in costs. The objectives which these budgets underpin are as set out for eHealth in Delivering for Health .

Police

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23970 by Cathy Jamieson on 3 April 2006, why it is not possible to establish the costs of these inquiries.

Cathy Jamieson: HMIC’s activity on these inquiries was not separately identified within its total administration costs. The total costs for each of the other individual inquiries are not held by the Scottish Executive.

Public Services

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is confident that rurality is given adequate recognition when making funding allocations for public service delivery across Scotland.

Tom McCabe: Within the complex formulae that are used – and that are overseen and reviewed by professional officers on a yearly basis – there are a range of indicators that take account of rurality. For example, adjustments are made to the local government funding formula for a number of services, to take account of the additional costs of serving rural areas.

Rail Network

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for dualling the remaining single-track sections of the Dumfries, Kilmarnock and Glasgow railway line to enable a greater frequency of service to and from Dumfries.

Tavish Scott: SPT have commissioned Network Rail to look at provision of a new dynamic loop between Stewarton and Dunlop with the option for this to be extended to Lugton. Transport Scotland are working with SPT and Network Rail on progressing this scheme as quickly as possible.

Rail Network

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link.

George Lyon: The EARL Bill has now come through the objection period. Forty-seven objections were received including an objection in detail from BAA. Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE Ltd) the promoters of the Bill are now considering their response to the objections

  Negotiations with BAA are underway to secure a contribution to the scheme. Transport Scotland, Network Rail and Tie Ltd recently met together to discuss progress on the project.

  A Design and Technical consultancy contract has recently been let and will shortly begin on the next phase of design.

Regeneration

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to regenerate traditional town centres.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive’s planning policy on town centres and retailing is contained in National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG) 8: Town Centres and Retailing . The policy contains a clear commitment to the enhancement and protection of town centres by looking to improve their vitality and viability. We have recently consulted on an updated version of this guidance and hope to publish the final document shortly.

  The Executive is also introducing business improvement districts (BIDs) to Scotland from 1 April 2007. BIDs can be a powerful tool to regenerate our towns and cities by allowing businesses an equitable way to invest collectively in the type of improvements and initiatives that will grow or sustain their economic performance. The Executive has made £500,000 available this year to take forward six BID pilots in Scotland.

  In addition, the recently published regeneration policy statement commits the Executive to a range of specific actions that will benefit all of Scotland’s towns and cities, including modernising the planning system, improving the alignment of key players in regeneration, removing the barriers that can inhibit regeneration led by others and realigning and consolidating funding streams that support regeneration.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish amended criteria for the allocation of funding under the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative.

Nicol Stephen: On 16 May I announced an additional £3 million of funding for the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative, with no change in the criteria for allocation of funding.

Renewable Energy

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made towards developing strategic planning for the emerging offshore wind sector.

Nicol Stephen: On 24 May, I announced that we shall be undertaking a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for offshore wind generation in Scotland.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24893 by Nicol Stephen on 2 May 2006, what assistance is available to religious and charitable organisations keen to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings but which are not in receipt of a grant from the Scottish Community and Householders Renewables Initiative.

Nicol Stephen: General assistance to religious and charitable organisations by means of an energy efficiency audit, or advice, is available from either the Carbon Trust or the Energy Saving Trust depending on the organisation’s size and type of premises.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24893 by Nicol Stephen on 2 May 2006, how many applications have been received from religious and charitable organisations for grant assistance from the Scottish Community and Householders Renewables Initiative to assist them in improving the energy efficiency of their buildings.

Nicol Stephen: In the lowlands, the Executive has received 18 applications from registered charities (including religious organisations) for SCHRI Energy Efficiency Funding. However, this information is not held centrally for the Highlands region.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24893 by Nicol Stephen on 2 May 2006, what percentage of applications from religious and charitable organisations for grant assistance from the Scottish Community and Householders Renewables Initiative have been successful.

Nicol Stephen: In the lowlands, 66% of applications from registered charities (including religious organisations) have been successful in obtaining general SCHRI funding and 94% of those who applied for SCHRI Energy Efficiency Funding were also successful. This information is not held centrally for the Highlands region.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24893 by Nicol Stephen on 2 May 2006, which groups are eligible to apply directly for funding from the Scottish Community and Householders Renewables Initiative Energy Efficiency Fund to assist them in improving the energy efficiency of their buildings.

Nicol Stephen: Any group that has received funding from the main SCHRI scheme can apply for funding from the Scottish Community and Householders Renewables Initiative Energy Efficiency Fund.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report on the findings of the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) hydrogen energy sub-group.

Nicol Stephen: The Hydrogen Energy Group (HEG) reported its final draft findings at the FREDS meeting of 30 January 2006. Since then, representatives from HEG have been discussing the implementation of the report with the Executive.

  We are currently making arrangements to have the report published. We hope to do so within the next few weeks.

Renewable Energy

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was available to support the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative in 2005 and how much is available for this purpose in each year from 2006 to 2008.

Nicol Stephen: The allocation of funds to the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative is by financial year. The breakdown for 2005 to 2008 is as follows:

  

 Financial Year
Funding (£ Million)


 2005-06
 2.45


 2006-07
 3.70


 2007-08
 3.70

Roads

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Transport Scotland regarding the proposed upgrading work to the A77 between Spitalhill and the Dutch House roundabout.

Tavish Scott: Discussions continue on the proposed upgrading work on the A77 between Spitalhill and the Dutch House roundabout.

  Transport Scotland hope to provide advice on the preferred option shortly.

Scottish Enterprise

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24926 by Nicol Stephen on 4 May 2006, how many matters of concern it raised with Scottish Enterprise in 2005-06 and what those matters were.

Nicol Stephen: In 2005-06 the Executive received two reports from Scottish Enterprise detailing overall performance against objectives. The first report was for the year end 2004-05 and the second report covered the period April to September 2005. These reports are not concerned with financial performance. For these particular reports, no matters of concern against achievement of objectives were raised.

  The year end report for 2004-05 is reproduced on pages 38-39 of the Scottish Enterprise annual report for 2004-05, which is available at:

  http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/publications/scottish-enterprise-annual-report-2004-05.pdf.

Scottish Water

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations have spent in each of the last five years on (a) capital investment, (b) operating costs, (c) interest, (d) private finance initiatives and similar schemes and (e) restructuring and transformation costs.

Rhona Brankin: The information requested is shown in the annual accounts published for each of the financial years in question. Copies of the accounts for Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations may be found in the Scottish Parliaments Information Centre. The relevant Bib. numbers are:

  

 Financial Year
 North of Scotland Water Authority
 East of Scotland Water Authority
 West of Scotland Water Authority


 2000-01
 16464
 17792
 16463


 2001-02
 24607
 24610
 24612



  

 Financial Year
 Scottish Water


 2002-03
 28754


 2003-04
 33541


 2004-05
 36848

Scottish Water

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations have received in each of the last five years from (a) customer charges, (b) net new borrowing and (c) other sources.

Rhona Brankin: The information requested is shown in the annual accounts published for each of the financial years in question. Copies of the accounts for Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations may be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The relevant Bib. numbers are:

  

 Financial Year
 North of Scotland Water Authority
 East of Scotland Water Authority
 West of Scotland Water Authority


 2000-01
 16464
 17792
 16463


 2001-02
 24607
 24610
 24612



  

 Financial Year
 Scottish Water


 2002-03
 28754


 2003-04
 33541


 2004-05
 36848

Scottish Water

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of income received in each of the last five years by Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations from sources other than customer charges and net new borrowing.

Rhona Brankin: A breakdown of the income received from non-statutory functions and other trading activities may be found in the annual accounts published for each of the financial years in question. Copies of the accounts for Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations may be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The relevant Bib. numbers are:

  

 Financial Year
 North of Scotland Water Authority
 East of Scotland Water Authority
 West of Scotland Water Authority


 2000-01
 16464
 17792
 16463


 2001-02
 24607
 24610
 24612



  

 Financial Year
 Scottish Water


 2002-03
 28754


 2003-04
 33541


 2004-05
 36848

Training

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all the sector skills councils operating in Scotland, also indicating those with headquarters in Scotland.

Allan Wilson: All Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) operate in Scotland as they have a UK wide remit to help reduce skills gaps and shortages, improve productivity and performance, increase opportunities in the workforce and improve learning supply. A full list of all 25 Sector Skills Councils complete with the addresses of their headquarters can be accessed through the following web link:

  http://www.ssda.org.uk/ssda/default.aspx?page=16.

  With one exception, no SSC is headquartered outside England. The exception is Skills for Care and Development which is organised differently. In Scotland, it operates as the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) which was established under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 and carries out a number of statutory functions as well as being the SSC for that sector. It is based in Dundee.

Wildlife

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to competent authorities intending to carry out appropriate assessment of plans or projects likely to affect European wildlife sites with regard to consulting (a) statutory bodies, (b) other interested parties and (c) the general public and whether the advice differs according to whether the assessment is carried out under Regulation 3 or Regulation 48 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended).

Rhona Brankin: Guidance on implementation of the Birds and Habitats directives, including the carrying out of appropriate assessments and consultation with statutory bodies and the general public, is set out in the Scottish Executive’s June 2000 circular: Nature Conservation: Implementation in Scotland of EC Directives on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Flora and Fauna and the Conservation of Wild Birds ("The Habitats and Birds Directives"). Supplementary guidance, covering aspects of the planning system ( Assessing Development Plans in Terms of the Need for Appropriate Assessment: Interim Guidance ) was issued in May 2006.

  Both Regulation 3 and Regulation 48 provide for an appropriate assessment to be carried out and allow for the opinion of the general public to be obtained. Advice in relation to the carrying out of an appropriate assessment differs to the extent that Regulation 48 explicitly requires the competent authority to consult Scottish Natural Heritage and enables the opinion of the general public to be obtained, if appropriate, as part of the appropriate assessment process, whilst Regulation 3 invokes Article 6(3) directly, does not refer explicitly to Scottish Natural Heritage and allows, if appropriate, for the opinion of the public to be sought prior to any final decision.

  Neither Regulation 3 nor Regulation 48 require consultation with "other interested parties" in connection with the conduct of an appropriate assessment.

Wildlife

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive by what method competent authorities are required to report the results of appropriate assessment of plans or projects under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended) to the (a) Executive, (b) UK Government and (c) European Commission; whether the appropriate assessment reports are public documents, and, if so, what advice the Executive has given on publicising such reports.

Rhona Brankin: Appropriate assessment is the responsibility of the relevant competent authority. There is no requirement, either in the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994  or in the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) , to report the results of individual assessments to the Executive, the UK Government or the European Commission.

  The publication of information contained in appropriate assessments is covered by the principles and obligations established by legislation on Access to Environmental Information and Freedom of Information. Regulation 4 of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 requires Scottish public authorities to organise environmental information, such as environmental impact studies and assessments, with a view to making that information available to the public. A similar obligation is imposed on UK public authorities by regulation 4 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

Wind Farms

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-25475 and S2W-25476 by Allan Wilson on 12 and 18 May 2006, whether it will confirm that any objections or letters of support which have been received by it in respect of the applications submitted for the Lewis Wind Power and Eisegein wind farm proposals will continue to be regarded as objections or letters of support, regardless of modifications to either proposal, unless the objections or letters of support are explicitly withdrawn or modified by those who originally submitted them.

Allan Wilson: I can confirm that they will.